Water hoses are used to transfer water from one location to another, a necessity for homeowners attempting to efficiently water lawns and gardens as well as for general all-around home care. Before the use of hose reels storage systems, water hoses were typically left on the ground in coiled or uncoiled position, either such position exposed the hose to the collection of dirt. If the hose was lifted from the ground the hose may still be stored in an arrangement that would lead to early degradation. The advent of hose reels gained wide public acceptance as a convenient device for properly storing of the water hoses. These devices include portable hose reel carts, stationary hose reel carts, and stationary hose reel hangers that can be mounted to a surface of a building all of which store the water hoses in a location in a convenient area for reuse. The hose reel provided proper coiling of the hose, positioning off of the ground, and in many instance portability in a storage condition.
A typical portable hose reel cart includes an open, rotatable reel or spool positioned between a pair of side frames. These carts include wheels to permit ready transport of the hose from one location to another. The hose is merely wound upon the reel for storage and pulled or dispensed from the reel for use.
The construction of a hose reel is primarily of molded plastic components having a rotatable spool for wheeling of the flexible hose, a frame for supporting of the spool, and a means for rotating of the spool, most commonly performed by a manually operated hand crank. Illustrative of the structure and operation of hose reels and hose reel carts can be viewed and referenced to various patents issued to the Suncast® Corporation such as U.S. Pat. Nos. Reissue 32,510; 4,512,361; 4,777,976; 5,046,520; 5,901,730; 5,998,552; 6,050,291; 6,834,670; 6,877,687; and 7,017,603 the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Common to such hose reels is the use of a crank handle secured to a hub for rotation of the spool. The spools are typically arranged with the crank handle located at the center of the hub to wind the flexible hose. Variations to the use of the hand crank include a battery powered hose reel wherein a small direct current motor obtaining power from a rechargeable battery supply can be coupled to the spool providing rotation. In many instances manual rotation of the spool is not convenient to the consumer. For instance, the consumer may require automatic hose take-up due to a physical aliment or the consumer may simply choose to have the convenience of automatic hose take-up. U.S. Pat. No. 6,877,687 is directed to a battery powered hose reel to provide an alternative to manual cranking of a hose reel. The battery powers a low draw motor allowing hundreds of hose retrievals before recharging, recharging may be performed by coupling to an electrical source such as an AC source or DC solar panel supplied current.
A water powered motor is yet another alternative means that can be used for automatic hose take-up. Various attempts at making water powered motors for use with hose reels can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,188 directed to a water driven motor having an external gear motor, a linearly translating actuator, and a rotatable actuator; U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,342 discloses the use of a water operated motor for conversion of linear motion to a rotational motion using pistons linked to a spool for rotation in a manner similar to a steam engine; and U.S. Publication No. 2006/0045733 discloses the use of a water turbine for use in rotation of a hose reel.
What is not disclosed in the prior art is a simplified hydraulic motor for use in a water powered hose reel.